confused about initWithCoder and custom UIViews

Question

I'm trying to create a custom UIView that brings in it's view from a nib file.

In my controller I have something like:

self.arcView=[[JtView alloc] initWithCoder:self];
self.arcView.backgroundColor=[UIColor redColor];
self.arcView.frame=CGRectMake(30.0f,200.0f, 100.0f, 100.0f);
[self.view addSubview:self.arcView];

My first question is what should go into the argument for initWithCoder (NSCoder *)? I tried self but got an incompatible pointer type but this seemed to work. But on to question #2:

Second, the argument is that you use initWithCoder with nibs and initWithFrame when putting your custom view in a frame. Well, I want to load a nib in my custom view and then put it into a frame. Can I just add a frame as above and it's ok (it looks like it works)?

Take a look here please and see the code sample stackoverflow.com/a/17798646/381807 – nesimtunc — nesimtunc
– nesimtunc, Commented Jul 22, 2013 at 22:38

Anoop Vaidya · Accepted Answer · 2013-03-01 03:25:59Z

9

initWithCoder is called much before init and viewDidLoad methods. And you never call it. It gets called as you load a nib file from your mainBundle.

However, It receives NSCoder as an argument. Check how it is called in a class:

- (id)initWithCoder:(NSCoder *)aDecoder {
    if ((self = [super initWithCoder:aDecoder])) {
        [self baseClassInit];
    }
    return self;
}

- (void)baseClassInit {

    //initialize all ivars and properties    
}

answered Mar 1, 2013 at 3:25

Anoop Vaidya

46.6k15 gold badges115 silver badges144 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

Comments

Alex Cio · Accepted Answer · 2014-02-18 13:33:01Z

8

You are doing it the other way around: it's not you who should call initWithCoder:, it's the implementation of the loadNibNamed:owner: method that does it.

What you need to do in your code is calling

UIView *view = [[[NSBundle mainBundle] loadNibNamed:@"theNIB" 
                                              owner:self 
                                            options:nil] objectAtIndex:0];

This would unbundle the NIB, and call your initWithCoder: initializer, and give you back a view with all the outlets connected.

edited Feb 18, 2014 at 13:33

Alex Cio

6,0705 gold badges46 silver badges75 bronze badges

answered Mar 1, 2013 at 3:26

Sergey Kalinichenko

729k85 gold badges1.2k silver badges1.6k bronze badges

2 Comments

borrrden Over a year ago

Doesn't this method return an NSArray of all the top level objects in the NIB? What if the UIView is not first?

timpone Over a year ago

thx, working through this right now. I've asked another question (sorry for spamming but feel like I have to understand this).

Bzmario · Accepted Answer · 2013-03-01 03:45:41Z

1

self.arcView = [[[NSBundle mainBundle] loadNibNamed:@"JtView" owner:self options:nil] objectAtIndex:0];
self.arcView.frame = CGRectMake(30.0f,200.0f, 100.0f, 100.0f);
self.arcView.backgroundColor = [UIColor redColor];
[self.view addSubview:self.arcView];

That will work and don't call initWithCoder:.

answered Mar 1, 2013 at 3:45

Bzmario

235 bronze badges

Comments

RAJNISH TOMAR · Accepted Answer · 2017-11-08 16:44:55Z

1

Never call initWithCoder explicitly, it gets call implicitly while unarchiving archived object and initialise object ivars and properties- Archive object can be your custom model class saved in persistence storage or a custom view loaded from xib file.

In your class it's look like you are trying to create a custom view, so load it from xib file, for reference @dasblinkenlight code is a perfect solution.

answered Nov 8, 2017 at 16:44

RAJNISH TOMAR

113 bronze badges

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

confused about initWithCoder and custom UIViews

4 Answers 4

Comments

2 Comments

Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

4 Answers 4

Comments

2 Comments

Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related